Three Replacements for Tom Brady if the Salary Cap Wasn’t a Factor
By now, the whole sports world knows we no longer have a GOAT. Tom Brady is out for good this time, so he says. Instead of stewing over this, how we will ever recover because we need to start getting ready for next season. This is Todd Bowles’s chance to show that he knows what he is doing, especially after his firing of Byron Leftwich. So right now, we have a list of options, but we don’t need any goober we need the right goober. The bad news about Tom Brady leaving is we are kinda locked into paying out his salary. This is leaving the Buccaneers over 30 million above the salary cap. If we could get out of Tom Brady costing us a 2023 season, and the salary cap wasn’t a factor, we have three replacements that may be the right pick for Buccaneers 2023.
#1 Aaron Rodgers
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This, of course, would be my top pick. This man lived in the shadows of Brett Farve for too long. When Farve left the Packers, Rodgers came to shine. He became a four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl XLV MVP and still plays exceptionally well for 39 years old. There are a few issues with this right now. Number 1, Rodgers is not a free agent. He will not become free until 2025. However, he claims to have an out on his contract and is currently talking about the Jets. Number 2, he is also talking about retirement along with his talks of going to the Jets. Finally, number 3, he comes with a hefty price tag. His contract with the Packers nets him an annual salary of $50,271,667. More than three times the amount of Tom Brady, leaving us less to spend on other lacking areas of the Buccaneers.
#2 Lamar Jackson
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Time for some real free agents. Lamar Jackson is my most likely to happen pick. Unfortunately, though, he has suffered from a recent string of back-to-back injuries that some say have led to Baltimore’s lack of Playoff wins. The big thing is he is young. 26 years old, and if Todd Bowles is as good as he wants us to believe he is, he can turn this guy into someone worth watching. We would have to restructure the Bucs’ Offensive strategy. Jackson is a decent passer with over 60% total completion rate, but his run game is where he shines. Had he not been out the last few games of the season, he may have surpassed 1000 total yards this season.
#Jimmy Garapolo
We could snag one of Bill Belichick’s picks and have them lead us to another Superbowl. Like Aaron Rodgers, once Garapolo got out of the shadow of others, he became a star. Granted, he hasn’t won anything outside of being their win the Patriots won the Superbowl, but that’s beside the point. Now his pass completion percentage is decent, being at 67%. This would cause fewer restructuring issues with the offensive team than if we brought in Lamar Jackson. But here is the thing that makes Garapolo an issue. Every time you turn around, he’s back on the sidelines because he is hurt. You can’t blame the O-Line as San Fran boast one of the top-rated O-Lines in the NFL.
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